Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2021 i Decanter

Welcome Don’t pretend you’ve never done it. Relaxing, eyes half-closed, quite possibly after a very pleasant lunch, thinking ‘what if that beautiful little vineyard I visited recently came up for sale?’ Imagine how tranquil and pleasant your life would be – waking up to birdsong, a morning stroll around your vines, lunch with some good friends over a few bottles of your very own wine, afternoons by the pool... Then, of course there’s the reality. It’s a business, and can be a very tough one. Even if you manage to make it financially viable, there are still everyday problems and unforeseen catastrophes to deal with, such as disease, infestation, floods, fires or, of course, frosts – and all of our hearts go out to those affected by this month’s devastating…

In brief Stay up to date with the latest wine news on Decanter.com, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter @Decanter ■ Convicted wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan has been deported to his native Indonesia following his release from prison, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement have confirmed. Kurniawan, once nicknamed ‘Dr Conti’, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2014. His counterfeits of world-renowned wines conned wealthy collectors out of millions of dollars. ■ Napa Valley’s Bill Harlan has announced a generational handover. His son Will has become managing director of family wine operations, overseeing Harlan Estate, BOND, Promontory and The Mascot. Cory Empting is now MD of wine-growing. ‘I shall continue in the role of founder and chairman,’ said Bill Harlan, adding that he’s spent 10 years helping ‘to…

Andrew Jefford ‘Prosecco never forbids or affronts; it is all aerial grace and charm’ As I write in an article that will appear in the next (July) issue of Decanter, I’m still learning about the world of wine. My most recent lesson unfolded in northeast Italy – and it gave me a shock. The landscape is stunning, like a miniature version of the Peruvian Andes. In place of bare, snow-shawled mountains, though, are a succession of high ridges and a chaos of hump-backed, wood-topped hills. Little houses and hamlets are grafted as improbably as Inca citadels into the hillsides, while vapoury fillets of mist drift languidly over the valley bottoms. Every scrap of land ungobbled by the greedy forests is vineyard; every row of vines sits on its own grassy…

Weekday wines Looking to try something different or adventurous, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? The Decanter team has done all the hard work for you, picking out 25 exciting and accessible wines which are available in the UK and priced at £20 or less Recommended by: James Button, Natalie Earl, Tina Gellie, Georgie Hindle, Julie Sheppard, Amy Wislocki and Sylvia Wu Morrisons, The Best Prosecco, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy NV 89 £7 Morrisons Brut in style, this has refreshing green apple, white blossom and lemon on the nose, and is crisp and frothy on the palate with plenty of citrus, followed by a palate-cleansing finish. A lovely companion to spiced Asian cuisine or for summer drinking. SW Alcohol 11% Villa Maria, Taylors Pass Single Vineyard…

Historic château in the heart of Provence Listing price €8.426m (£7.3m) Listing agent Wine Objectives www.wineobjectives.com (reference PR123) This could be an opportunity to put your own stamp on the Provence rosé trend, or perhaps merely enjoy the Provençal life on your own expansive vineyard estate with a pool and a château residence dating back to the 10th century. Listed for nearly €8.5m, this 85ha property is about 30 minutes by car from Aix-en-Provence, according to listing agent Wine Objectives. There is a serious wine operation, in hilly territory with 48.2ha of vines planted – some classified as AP Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence and others as IGP. Red, white and rosé are produced and bottled on-site, and the wines are distributed by the current owner. Provence has smaller-scale options on the market,…

Producer profile DOMAINE DU VIEUX TELEGRAPHE The Brunier family’s ownership of one of the Rhône’s most famous names started with the purchase of some forested land in the late 19th century. Matt Walls pays a visit to the fiercely independent Châteauneufdu-Pape estate as the reins are passed from one generation to the next Photographs: Per Karlsson, BKWine 2/Alamy Stock Photo With his short, grey, curly hair and deep crow’s feet, Daniel Brunier has a patrician air as he stalks the winery. Cellar staff hush and busy themselves as he passes. Along with his brother Frédéric, he has built an empire that stretches from Châteauneuf-du-Pape to Gigondas, and all the way to Lebanon. Daniel has just turned 60, and the brothers have now passed winemaking duties to their sons, Edouard and…

Walls presents a taste of Vieux Télégraphe 1 Vieux Télégraphe, Blanc, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016 95 £52.99 House of Townend Blend of 40% Clairette, 30% Grenache Blanc, 15% Roussanne, 15% Bourboulenc. Beautifully harmonious on the nose and palate, this is concentrated and intense with good freshness, and it’s very long indeed. Zesty, but has a little brown-sugar richness, alongside a toasty note on the mid-palate that brings complexity and food-friendliness. A little grapefruit pith note gives some structured bitterness. Drink 2021-2024 Alcohol 14% 2 Vieux Télégraphe, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2010 97 £48 (ib)-£64.35 Bordeaux Index, Christopher Piper, DBM Wines, Fine & Rare, Lay & Wheeler, Seckford Wines, SJ Wines Remarkably deep in colour still. Has the deep, brooding meatiness of the vintage, meaty and bloody. Very full-bodied in the mouth but also very fresh…

Vermentino: know your vintages 2020 Due to be released in mid-2021. First signs are of an excellent vintage, with good structure and aroma. Drink on release, but will definitely improve. 2019 Small vintage but good quality everywhere; possibly the best vintage of the decade in Sardinia. Excellent body, fruit and aroma. Drink or keep. 2018 A difficult vintage for growers, but the wines of Tuscany and Sardinia are showing well. Good body and concentration. Drink or keep. 2017 The heatwave vintage did not favour white wines, which tend to lack freshness and aroma. Drink up or avoid. 2016 Favourable weather at all the right moments. Good to very good wines everywhere. Should be showing some evolution but drinking well.…

FIVE OF THE BEST Vodkas for a Martini Recommended by Julie Sheppard The Martini is one of the best-known cocktails in the world, but should it be made with vodka or gin? Frankly, the choice is yours. The earliest Martinis were made with gin, with the very first recipe – a mix of gin and sweet vermouth – appearing in Harry Johnson’s Bartender’s Manual of 1888. In contrast, the vodka Martini, or Vodkatini, is a more modern invention, first appearing in the cocktail guide Bottoms Up, published in 1951 and written by Ted Saucier, publicist for the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. While purists may argue that a Vodka Martini isn’t a true Martini, it’s still a great drink – particularly if you’re looking to showcase the pure, clean…

Food & wine A perfect pairing: CHICKEN BRAISED WITH WHITE WINE & MUSTARD Chef Raymond Blanc’s new cookbook Simply Raymond is a tribute to his late mother. Here he shares her recipe for a one-pot chicken dish, and recommends two wine styles to match When I embarked on my latest book, Simply Raymond: Recipes from Home, I had no idea of the path that lay ahead. Originally I had set out to write a book that was a tribute to my mum and the food that she prepared, cooked and served chez Blanc. I wasn’t far into the project when, suddenly, Britain went into lockdown. At home, and away from a professional kitchen, I craved and busily cooked the dishes that whizzed me back to my childhood in…

WHAT I’VE BEEN DRINKING THIS MONTH A welcome innovation for the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG is the dry Extra Brut category, and Marco Cescon’s Mani Sagge, Audace Extra Brut 2019 (www. manisagge.com) adds to the interest with an extended 14-month ageing in autoclave before bottling (the long Charmat method). The result is beautiful: concentration and vitality but without sacrificing the overall accessibility, floral charm and gentleness uniquely found here. Perfect, we found, for chasing away the Covid confinement shadows.…

Weekend wines Wanting to splash out a little bit more to celebrate your weekend in style? As a companion selection to our 25 wines under £20, the Decanter team has selected seven standout bottles that are sure to impress, all available in the UK and priced between £20 and £50 Recommended by: James Button, Tina Gellie, Georgie Hindle, Julie Sheppard, Amy Wislocki and Sylvia Wu Langham Wine Estate, Pinot Meunier, Dorset, England 2017 93 £44 www.langhamwine.co.uk Extra brut. Freshly made bread, lemon, white blossom and red apples on the nose. A complex palate of yeasts, butter brioche, apple and lime zest, with fairly high orange-peel acidity. Creamy and long, with biscuit and a strawberry candy twist on the finish. SW Alc 12% Silver Heights, Family Reserve Chardonnay,…

Lawther’s 10: style-shift in St-Emilion 1 Château Troplong Mondot, St-Emilion 1GCC 2018 95 £66 (ib)-£101.67 Bordeaux Index, Christopher Keiller, Cru, Crump Richmond Shaw, Davy’s, Farr Vintners, Fine & Rare, Goedhuis & Co, Jeroboams, Justerini & Brooks, L’Assemblage, Millésima, Montrachet, Nickolls & Perks, Richard Kihl This is a dense and profound wine, but it’s a little shy aromatically at present. The palate is juicy and well constituted with attractive volume, beautiful texture, silky tannins and an unreserved but unaggressive power behind. The finish is firm and persistent. Despite the alcohol, everything is balanced and contained. Aged in 60% new oak barrels. Drink 2025-2040 Alcohol 15% 2 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, St-Emilion 1GCC 2018 94 £ 43.33-£55.83 (ib) Armit, Bordeaux Index, Corkr, Cru, Crump Richmond Shaw, DBM Wines, Grand Vin, IG Wines, Justerini…

VINDING-DIERS AT A GLANCE Born 3 June 1943 in Trinitatis, Denmark Education Schooling in Denmark, England and France; educated in farming and journalism Career Winemaking around the world: South Africa (1969-1974), Bordeaux (1974-1998), Tokaj (1989-2000), Sicily (2003 onwards) Family Married to Susie for more than 50 years, with two sons: Hans, owner of Bodega Noemia in Patagonia, and Anders, a lavender grower in Sicily Interests ‘Wine, women and song’, plus literature, architecture and travel…

VIEUX TELEGRAPHE AT A GLANCE Location Châteauneufdu-Pape, southern Rhône, France Winemakers Daniel, Frédéric, Edouard and Nicolas Brunier Vineyard area 56ha for the main domaine wine; about 100ha in all across Châteauneufdu-Pape Viticultural approach Organic, not certified For Vieux Télégraphe Rouge Grapes 65% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah; remaining 5% comprising Cinsault, Clairette and other local varieties Vine age Average 70 years old Production Average 200,000 bottles For Vieux Télégraphe Blanc Grapes 40% Clairette, 25% Grenache Blanc, 25% Roussanne, 10% Bourboulenc Vine age Average 45 years old Production Average 20,000 bottles…

Italy VERMENTINO One of Italy’s wealth of dry whites, Vermentino can really conjure up the Mediterranean, and on your table it’s the perfect foil for fish, seafood and light pasta dishes of all kinds. Richard Baudains tours its Italian homelands and recommends 10 top wines to try Photographs: Nic Crilly-Hargrave Photography; Marina Bakush/Alamy Stock Photo ‘Vermentino is a fish wine par excellence’ Winemakers enjoy working with Vermentino. It is a very complete variety which delivers aroma, fruit flavour, body and structure. It is a wine of immediate appeal, but at the same time it has a slightly elusive complexity that keeps you coming back to it. Vermentino is a fish wine par excellence. It is a dream partner to oysters and raw shellfish in general, and sails along next to…

Covid letters OVER TO YOU: READERS SHARE THEIR STORIES Over the last few months, many readers have emailed Decanter (editor@decanter.com) to share their own experiences, or offer advice. We publish a selection of those here Illustration: Olivia Waller/Folio Art View from the wine trade It was with great interest that I read Peter Richards MW’s article ‘2020: Lockdown stories’ (January 2021 issue). I am a freelance writer by day, and the brain fog and other long-haul issues I experience from my own bout with Covid-19 are as irritating as they are challenging. That I am also a newly minted sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers) and working part-time for a well-regarded US wine merchant by night, poses its own challenges. My sense of smell returned quickly, but here at 12 weeks…

Questions answered Notes & Queries Each month our experts answer readers’ wine queries and share their knowledge THIS MONTH’S EXPERTS Sarah Jane Evans MW is a co-chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards, chair of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, and author of The Wines of Northern Spain (Infinite Ideas) Photograph: Paperkites/Getty Images David Longfield is Decanter’s production editor and was formerly deputy editor of spirits & wine trade title Drinks International Unravelling Rioja I’ve been given a bottle of Pagos de Tahola, Selección de Martin, Rioja 2011, which sells for about $40 in the US. It’s not clear where this wine would fit in terms of Rioja styles – has it been aged in oak barrels? Nikita Fomin, by email Sarah…

LOOKING AHEAD Dominus Estate 2018 (US market release) There is a lot of anticipation around this Napa Valley vintage. The winery confirmed to Decanter that it plans to release Dominus 2018 and Napanook 2018 to the US market on 1 June. Krug Grand Cuvée 169th edition UK-based merchant Bordeaux Index said it was expecting a June release for the 169th edition of Krug Grande Cuvée – a blend of 146 wines from 11 different years, the youngest components drawn from the 2013 vintage and the oldest from 2000, according to Krug. Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux 2019 wines Charles Lachaux has been gaining admirers for his work in Burgundy since taking the reins more fully in the last few years, as Decanter’s Stephen Brook noted in his write-up on the producer’s 2018-vintage wines…

Tasted & rated for Decanter Premium Harlan Estate, Napa Valley 1994 The highly regarded 1994 was recently rated 98 points by Matthew Luczy for Decanter Premium. ‘I’ve had the pleasure of tasting this wine several times over the years, and it never fails to impress,’ he said, adding that the wine ‘should hold for another 20 years’. According to Liv-ex, the wine’s market price has risen by nearly 500% in the past two decades, standing at the equivalent of £12,381 per 12-bottle case in bond as of 12 April. However, it’s extremely difficult to find. UK-based retailer Hedonism was selling one 75cl bottle duty-paid for £1,780. Collectors and investors will find a wealth of useful information on Decanter.com/Premium, including expert assessments of new vintage releases and comprehensive tasting notes. Current…

Letter of the month Cellar strategies I thought I would share with your readers how I have built a mixed cellar, based on independent reviews, with the help of Decanter. I started subscribing 20 years ago and decided then that each month I would buy a few bottles rated at 95 points or above (then 5 stars), for the cellar – or under the stairs at that time – setting myself a price limit of £x per bottle. At the same time, I would purchase a few bottles of ‘weekday wine’ for the kitchen rack, rated at 90-94 points (4 stars), with a lower price limit. While Bordeaux, Burgundy and Italy perhaps dominate, as a result of this approach I now have an eclectic cellar of…

Hugh Johnson ‘Samuel Johnson or Len Evans, take your pick’ We haven’t categorically been drinking more in the various stages of house-arrest, but we have certainly been drinking better. Australia’s national wine hero, the inimitable Len Evans, had a formula that applies to situations like this. Knowing Len, he probably had a t-shirt inscribed with it. His equation went: I may have 20,000 drinks left in my life – say, for the sake of argument, five drinks a day x 365 = about 2,000 (certainly an underestimate in his case) over 10 years equals 20,000. Len wasn’t going to waste any of them on plonk. ‘There’s more good wines than that’, said Len. ‘That’s what I’m going to drink.’ So yes, this household has not wasted any of its remaining…

Bordeaux CHANGE COMES TO ST-EMILION Does a region as highly reputed as St-Emilion need to change? There’s a growing band of producers who seem to think so, as ownerships, technology, climate and consumer tastes shift around them. Here, James Lawther MW reveals the latest developments on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, and picks 10 recent-release wines that illustrate the point Something intriguing is happening in St-Emilion. Call it a quiet mutation, but since the latter part of the last decade a stylistic change has become steadily more apparent. Fruit, freshness and drinkability have become the new mantra, while overripeness, heavy extraction and the imprint of oak are being toned down or even eliminated. Finesse is what’s required, driven by a desire to rein in excess, promote terroir and advance the demands of…

Good, better, best STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN Have you ever wanted to know more about a great wine region but didn’t know where to start? Here’s some help. We asked six of our expert contributors to sum up what makes a particular wine region great, and to choose three bottles – good (affordable), better (medium-priced) and best (money no object) – to take you there Left Bank Bordeaux Jane Anson Decanter columnist, contributing editor & DWWA Regional Chair for Bordeaux Left Bank Bordeaux delivers what most of us think of as the essence of this region – classical châteaux with dreaming spires, and complex, barrel-aged wines that major on savoury black fruits laced with touches of cedar, eucalyptus and mint, all capable of ageing for decades in dusty cellars. It’s where…

20 great whites MY TOP 20: CANADIAN RIESLING From a blind tasting of 138 Canadian Rieslings sent in from across the country’s wine regions to be reviewed for Decanter, Michaela Morris picks out her top 20 bottles ‘Canada’s best Riesling winemakers are virtuosos of a fine balancing act’ To hold up a single grape variety as Canada’s flagship is impossible. But if I were to choose one that echoes the natural beauty and intensity of this country’s awe-inspiring landscape, it would be Riesling. Riesling is grown in all four wine-producing provinces, from east to west: Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. Its winter-hearty properties and accomplishment in other cool regions made it a natural choice among intrepid souls who started planting Vitis vinifera varieties in Canada in the 1970s.…

VIEUX TELEGRAPHE: A TIMELINE 1891 Henri Brunier I bequeaths a parcel of land on La Crau to his son, Hippolyte Brunier 1915 Jules Brunier, son of Hippolyte, names the estate Vieux Télégraphe 1928 Original winery built on La Crau 1945 Henri Brunier II, son of Jules, joins the estate 1979 Construction of a modern, gravity-fed winery 1980-1981 Frédéric, then Daniel, sons of Henri Brunier II, join the estate 1986 Purchase of Domaine la Roquète vineyards 1998 Purchase of Domaine les Pallières, Gigondas; creation of Massaya, Lebanon 2002 First vintage of Télégramme 2011 First vintage of Piedlong 2015 Nicolas Brunier, son of Frédéric, joins estate 2016 Edouard Brunier, son of Daniel, joins estate 2018 Manon Brunier, daughter of Frédéric, joins estate…

Vermentino: a variety with history The Italian national grapevine register notes that few varieties have so many real or presumed synonyms as Vermentino, which is testimony to its long-standing presence around the Mediterranean basin. The most widely accepted theory about its origins is that in or around the 14th century it travelled from Spain to Provence and Corsica, and from there to Liguria, the Tuscan coast and Sardinia, although in what order is not clear. Vermentino needs quite specific habitats: it is a late-budding variety, so is vulnerable to the frosts of inland areas, and its thin skins make it susceptible to mould. To keep healthy it needs a mild spring, lots of sunlight and good ventilation. It is resistant to heat and drought stress and so does fine in…

Covid’s after-effects END OF THE NOSE? One of Covid-19’s persistent symptoms is the loss or distortion of the sense of smell – and for wine lovers and professionals alike, this can be devastating. Victoria Moore explores the science behind Covid’s impact on the nose and learns how those affected are coping Illusration: Olivia Waller/Folio Art Cooking a curry recipe from the restaurant group Dishoom’s cookbook on the first night of a Norfolk holiday last July, Barney Child noticed something odd. ‘The recipe calls for huge amounts of garlic, like crazy amounts. But the smell of the garlic was completely weird. I thought it must be old garlic or, maybe because I’d cut so much up, I’d freaked my brain out. Then the next morning I made an espresso and it…

Six to try: delicious spirits by winemakers 1 Cardrona The Reid Single Malt Vodka, New Zealand £48.99-£55/70cl Distillers Direct, Hedonism, House of Malt, Master of Malt, Robbie’s, The Whisky World, Waitrose Cellar Cardrona Distillery’s malted barley spirit has rich aromas of toasted nut, baked banana, tropical fruit salad and pear drops, and a fruity palate with a distilled malt note on the finish. See also Cardrona’s gin (aged in barrels previously used for Felton Road’s Pinot Noir) and whisky. Alc 44% 2 Chapel Down Chardonnay Vodka, England £29.45-£36.99/70cl Chapel Down, Grape Britannia, Majestic, Master of Malt, The Drink Shop, The Whisky Exchange, Waitrose Cellar Chapel Down winemaker Josh Donaghay-Spire triple-distils this from the estate’s own Chardonnay grapes and English wheat spirit. Green grape and peach; delicate, smooth, with a velvety…

TASTING NOTES DECODED Green apple Wine contains malic acid – derived from the Latin word for apple, ‘malum’ – which can give the impression of green apple flavours and aromas in your glass. Wines high in malic acid have more pronounced green apple notes. These include cool-climate dry whites such as Chablis, as well as Riesling from Germany and Grüner Veltliner from Austria. In these wines, green apple might be found alongside other green fruits with a similar flavour profile, such as gooseberry or pear, as well as mineral or metallic notes. The effect of malic acid is not always desirable, particularly in some red wines and richer Chardonnays. It can be processed using malolactic fermentation, when bacteria break down the tart malic acid into lactic acid – the same…

Marketwatch: California Spotlight on California prospects The biggest names are still calling the shots, but market moves and merchant confidence reveal a broadening of interest California is at a fascinating stage of its development on the international fine wine market and is a region to watch closely, merchants and analysts believe. The US west coast state’s secret has been out for decades; it’s 45 years since the late, great Steven Spurrier’s ‘Judgement of Paris’, after all. Yet in 2021 there is a renewed sense of California as an emerging force on the fine wine market, despite various challenges ranging from extreme weather to tight availability beyond US shores. Within the US itself, California is enjoying a good auction run. ‘We are seeing an uptick in Californian wines that is…

The Bordeaux Index view Fine wines & spirits specialists Bordeaux Index kindly sponsor this section of Decanter, and provide their view on the market here. They can be found at Bordeauxindex.com. We have seen significantly increased activity in the US over recent years – across all wines, to an extent, albeit it may not compare to, for example, Italy. And there is certainly movement towards greater understanding of and focus on smaller production wines such as Harlan, Hundred Acre and Colgin. New-release distribution of some larger production wines – Ridge, Dominus, Opus One – has changed, too, and this will likely become pronounced across the region over time. Price performance away from Ridge has been relatively unexciting in the last 12-24 months – US tariffs have meant fewer domestic US…

Wine to 5 Working wine to five Inside a professional’s world The Champagne ambassador Ethan Boroian, UK ambassador for Moët Hennessy Photograph: Jon Bradley Photography Ltd What’s the best thing about your job? The fact that no one is ever sad to see me – most likely as I usually have a bottle of Champagne with me. I’m so fortunate to be able to visit some of the UK’s most incredible restaurants, hotels and bars and educate the teams that serve our Champagnes to their guests. Not everyone knows the stories behind these famous labels, and it’s a pleasure to be able to share my knowledge. And the worst? When people only focus on the investment aspect. There’s nothing wrong with smart investments,…